Leigh let me know he's been hard at work on his latest creation, Tank Recon 3D. This is one of the first games to take advantage of the OpenGL ES support on the Storm2, and features amazing 3D graphics. The game puts you in the drivers seat of a tank through various missions, shooting down planes, AT guns, tanks and more.

You're the Commander of a lone recon tank charged with a mission that will help end the 12 year war with the Hepion. We have developed a new advanced tank, code named Alpha. It seems that the wretched Hepion has also managed to develop their own tank, code named Beta. The race is on to see who can field their tanks first.

In a bold move and in an effort to curve the development of the Hepion tank Beta, our commanders have decided to send out our pearl. Like a raging storm, our Alpha is being rushed into a dangerous tour of duty to save our world.

There are multiple different levels, story mode and instant-action mode, ability to set your own music as the soundtrack, leaderboard and more. Tank Recon 3D really does look great on the Storm2, so if you're a fan of this type of game at all I definitely recommend picking it up. It sells for $7.99 in the CrackBerry App Store (a bit higher than most games, but given the work that went into it totally worth it). 

• More information and download of Tank Recon 3D for the Storm2 >>

It looks like the wait is finally over for Bell customers. The Storm2 9550 is now live on bell.ca and ready for purchase. A few weeks back, Bell dropped the original Storm from their site, so it was inevitable that this guy would show up sooner or later. There are various pricing options for the 9550, including a 3-year contract at $199 and a $549 no-contract tag. If you've been looking to upgrade you can order online now (the device should be available in stores as well). If you've picked up a Storm2 on Bell be sure to drop a comment and let us know!

• More information on the Storm2 9550 from Bell

Another official OS popped up a few days back that we seemed to miss. Vodafone Egypt released OS 5.0.0.580 for the Storm2 9520. No word on whats new and improved, so if you give this release a go be sure to drop a comment and let us know. If you're using a 9520 on another carrier, just delete the vendor.xml file before you try installing. As always, use caution when installing even though this is an official OS. Hit the link below to download.

• Download OS 5.0.0.580 for the Storm2 9520 >>

Reports are flying in and the forums are lighting up with the news that OS 5.0.0.607 is now available for some Verizon users via Wireless Update. We knew this was coming today, just not when, but it looks like it the OS is being made available already. If you haven't seen the option to update OTA don't fret, it should pop up on the homescreen (or you can check directly under Options > Advanced Options > Wireless Update). You'll need to be running an official Verizon OS in order to update OTA, so unfortunately for some this means downgrading first. You can also download the OS from the Verizon Software Downloads page for an easy Desktop Manager install. If you need help installing, check out our BlackBerry 101 on using the Wireless Update feature. Leave a comment and let us know if you have installed the update and how it went. 

• Discuss more in the forums >>
• Download OS 5.0.0.607 for the Storm2 from Verizon Wireless >>

We're seeing a trend of official 5.0 firmware popping up on carriers in the last few weeks and I'm loving it. One thing BlackBerry users crave is a solid carrier-released OS to play around with. Vodafone UK is the latest to offer up a release with OS 5.0.0.436 for the BlackBerry Storm2. This is a decent step up from their last offering, so give it a go and let us know what you find out. Although it's an official OS, always use caution when upgrading.

• Download OS 5.0.0.436 for the BlackBerry Storm2 >>

Not too long ago Loopt dropped a big update and released for the Bold 9700 and Curve 85xx devices. We got word that the app is also now available for the BlackBerry Storm and Storm2 in BlackBerry App World. The free app has been updated to show off the capabilities of the touchscreen devices.

If you're a BlackBerry Storm owner, now you can take advantage of all of the features that Loopt has to offer. You can discover nearby places and events by perusing detailed information from Zagat, Citysearch and the Loopt community. Or you can see where your friends are on maps and view their latest updates listed in real-time. You can also Check In to instantly share updates with friends across your favorite social networks, like Facebook and Twitter. Best of all, Loopt on the BlackBerry Storm runs in the background, which allows you to update your location in real-time while you are on the move, even when the Loopt application is not running in the foreground.  

To download the latest version for any device, simply head over to loopt.com on your mobile browser.

• More information and download of Loopt >>

Forums member TBacker posted a great thread giving a cool look at the inner workings of a BlackBerry Storm2. Some repairs were needed, so he took apart the device and snapped some photos along the way. There are loads of great images to look at, and we get a good glimpse of what goes down on the inside. He evens points out all the bits and pieces inside the device so we can see where everything is. Jump into the forums and check out the full thread and all of the images. I wouldn't recommend that anyone pops their device apart just to see what makes it tick, but if you have a good reason to, why not document the process :-)

• Storm2 Teardown thread in the CrackBerry Forums >>